I'm a crafter and Fun Stampers Journey Coach. I started stamping and card making several years ago when my daughter took me to a home stamping party. When she no longer wanted them, I bought ALL her stamps AND all her friend's stamp pads, mailed them to Colorado where I'm living now, and started playing more seriously. I love card making, painting or drawing, sewing and all kinds of crafts.

Thursday, July 21, 2016

My husband is awesome! Every time I go to him with a "Can you do this?" request, he does it! He made me a stamp positioner, a storage box for my embossing folders, and LONG counters and shelving in the beautiful big craft room he built for me in the basement. I'm lucky to have such a handy guy around, in so many ways.

Yesterday, I took one of my giant FSJ catalogs to him and asked for help. The catalog is so thick that it doesn't lay flat when I'm using it, and I couldn't figure out a way to tab the spiral-bound one I received at Convention. So he took it out to his shop, put it on the band saw, and sawed off the bound/glued edge. Then I came in and did the rest. I love it!

Sunday, July 17, 2016

Welcome to the Christmas in July Fun Stampers Journey blog hop. If you've arrived from Betsye's blog, you're on the right track. If not, jump in anyway, and follow along.
Some people plan ahead...way ahead...all the way ahead to Christmas, which is 6 months away. I must admit I'm NOT one of those people! I still want to order some of the awesome Christmas stamps in the Holiday Mini Catalog, but since I haven't been able to make up my mind which ones yet, I'm using Blitzen today.
For my first card, I used Pomegranate Splash, Denim Days, and Brush Silver rather than the more traditional red and green. Although it looks black or gray in the picture, the dark layer is actually Denim Days card stock embossed with Petals Wall then brushed with Silver Pan Pastel. The shapes are cut using the Ornate Label Dies and matching piercing dies. I added a few splashes of silver Silk, and a wooden star accent that I colored with our silver ink pad.

I wanted a touch of brushed silver behind the focal point. Whenever you need a smaller layer than you can cut with your dies, cut one or two duplicate layers. Then cut the extras into enough sections to layer under your main shape. Cut or punch squares if needed to fill in corners. Tape to the back of the main shape with just a small edge showing, then layer as desired.

Here's another Blitzen card, in a neutral color palette of Butter Cream and Hazelnut Blend this time. I sponged the edges of the die cut star opening, and sponged lightly over the image. Once again, I added a wooden star embellishment, but left it natural color this time. The other embellishments are from the Holiday Elements sequins - I sponged Hazelnut ink over them to fit the color scheme. After looking at the card, I decided Blitzen could use a touch of color, so added a few of the red Holiday Elements sequins, dots of red glitter glue, and a paper-pieced scarf. I think I like the second one better, but haven't completely made up my mind yet. Maybe the "MERRY & bright" needs to be stamped in red also. Oh well - after all, we still have 6 months till Christmas!

Thanks so much for visiting today. Now hop on over to Carol's blog and see what she has for Christmas in July.

Saturday, July 16, 2016

I had an amazing group of ladies at today's class, and I couldn't resist posting a picture of some of their cards. The one at the top is the sample I made, and the others are the beautiful creative results when each one put just a bit of their own design spin on the matting. (Thanks to my up line, Nanette Mueller, for the original idea.) The FSJ combination piercing and cutting dies allow so many variations.
Notice the one with the rose buds? That was made by a lovely young lady going into 6th grade this fall. Amber, you're growing up SO fast!

Saturday, July 9, 2016

Occasionally I participate in a card swap with stampers all over the country. It's a great way to get new ideas. I made several copies of this card for the July swap, and can hardly wait to see what I get back! This one was fairly easy to mass produce. I love the way sponging with a bit of the yellow Pan Pastels makes the bulb light up. I also used silver Pan Pastels on the base of the bulb. I got BOTH of these stamp sets free when I went to the Fun Stampers Journey Convention...already saving up for next year! ;-)Supplies:
Whip Cream Card Stock (CS-0040)
Lemon Drop Card Stock (CS-0018)
Retired Black & White Paper Pack
Sun Rays (DI-0108)
Rich Sorbet Pan Pastels (JM-0082)
Brush Silver Pan Pastels (JM-0097)
Black Licorice Ink (IP-0041)
Happy Sentiments (SS-0304)
Delightful Light (SS-0344)
Foam Squares (AD-0084, AD-0085)

Sunday, July 3, 2016

Happy 4th of July! I don't have any red, white, and blue cards to share, but I figure it's time to share what I made for my daughter's boyfriend for his birthday last month and for my husband for Father's Day. I wanted to wait and be sure they both had the cards - then I forgot to post! But really, that BBQ grill kind of fits the holiday, doesn't it?

BBQ grill for Michael's birthday

Toolbox for handy hubby

I made these from a pattern I purchased at www.svgcuts.com. They have amazing cut file patterns that can be used in most of the major cutting machines - I happen to use a Silhouette Cameo. Some patterns I just can't resist, and this was one of them. It has five box cards, all designed and planned out. Besides the BBQ grill and the toolbox, there's a baseball-themed card, a golf cart, and a "Happy Father's Day" card. Really, the 3-D patterns, decor items, and other patterns they offer are A.M.A.Z.I.N.G! If you're into paper crafts, go take a look if you get a chance. (I'm not affiliated with them or being compensated in any way - I just love their products!)

Friday, July 1, 2016

Good morning! The new 16-17 Fun Stampers Journey Catalog and Inspiration Book goes live today. There are lots of amazing stamps, inks, papers, multi-media items, etc. etc. etc. It's over 300 pages long. You can browse and order online as well as order a hard copy of the catalog. The Holiday mini catalog is also available from July through September.

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About Me

I love being "retired" in Pueblo, Colorado after spending 24 years in Alaska (brrrr.....). I live with my dear husband/best friend. I have two daughters and one beautiful granddaughter. I recently became a Fun Stampers Journey Senior Coach Leader, and love their products.